by Joyee Flynn
“What do you need given that you wake up confused?” Bay asked as we pulled onto the pack’s ranch. It was gorgeous, even from what I could see at night. Everything was green and lush in a way I’d never seen growing up in New York. After that I was basically locked in my Alpha’s house, so there wasn’t much of the scenery I’d gotten to experience.
I saw horses in the pasture and rolling fields before so many trees it would take weeks to probably count them all. It was a place that people wrote epic poems and songs about. It was a place that I could see myself happy and somewhere I could finally call home.
“My own room would be best for now but don’t scatter,” I answered, snapping my focus back to his question. “Either wake me up so I can kiss you right away and remember or stay close. I’ll be scared at the new surroundings.”
“We can do that,” Levey assured me. “And we’ll give you a tour tomorrow.”
“Sounds good,” I yawned. I had napped on the plane but it wasn’t that good kind of sleeping where I felt rested afterward… I just felt like I needed more sleep and a little like a zombie. So when they showed me my room, I grunted, yanked off my clothes, and was out the moment I crawled between the covers.
I woke to sweet kisses on my shoulder. My eyes fluttered open and I saw a handsome man leaning over the bed. He leaned down and the moment his lips met mine I knew it was Harkin.
“Hi,” he chuckled as he went to pull away. I moaned and reached for him, dragging him down to the bed with me. “Someone’s frisky this morning.”
“I’m yours now so I think morning sex is in order,” I panted as I moved the covers away and wrapped my naked body around him. “I want to feel you inside of me.” I had planned on not waiting and seducing them right away, and this presented me with the perfect opportunity. I didn’t need time to wait.
“You’re killing me,” he groaned as I latched onto his neck and sucked up a bruise.
“Fuck me, Harkin,” I whimpered. “I want this to be real.”
“I breach you and this is real, Wesley. There’s no going back and that’s not fair to do without talking to the others.”
“You guys signed the contract.” I froze, not sure what he was getting at. “Have you changed your minds?”
“What? No!” he exclaimed. “I just don’t want to make a decision for all of us when it’s not mine to make.”
“Whatever,” I grumbled, not a fan of playing games. I was also too tired to explain that his statement didn’t make any sense. I moved out from under him and went into the adjoining bathroom before he could say anything else. I took a quick but calming shower, glad when I was alone in the room when I walked back into it. Pulling out my clothes, I got dressed, and sniffed out where the kitchen was.
“Good morning, Wesley,” a stranger said, getting to his feet. I froze as he approached me slowly. Normally I had to go to everyone else to kiss them and realize who they were. Why was this person initiating it? I let him kiss me and was relieved when I realized it was Bay. That answered that question. I’d warned them to help me adjust. I felt that rush I normally did when the memories cleared and everything was back where it should be in my mind.
I moved to the other man at the table, smiling after we kissed and I understood it was Levey. We had a quick breakfast and Bay and Harkin headed off to help with the cattle. Levey was going to give me a tour, having taken the morning off to get me acclimated.
Smiling at the man, I slid my hand in his, letting him lead me outside. It was really beautiful there. Everything was green and healthy even though it was a hotter, end-of-summer day. He showed me the barn, the stable, where they put the cattle at night, and then took me down by the lake. I listened as he explained to me which cabins were theirs and how they set up the reservations.
“It’s really pretty,” I whispered in awe. There were four dozen smaller cabins, most attached almost like mini townhomes.
“We built up this ranch from almost falling apart when we took over the pack about a decade ago. Bay was only twenty-six then and us a few years younger. He was the man with a plan and I always envied him for that. But once I was included in it, we set to make this a successful pack, even if it’s a smaller one.”
“You obviously have,” I praised. He smiled brightly and led me down to the dock. I couldn’t get over the amount of boats they had. I saw a larger one far out on the lake. “Is that one yours too?”
“Yeah, Mike, one of our pack, is in charge of taking groups out to fish at set times. It’s extra to go on but it’s all-inclusive. His mate makes sandwiches, they load up coolers, and head out for a few hours. Normally most of the people catch at least one fish but it hasn’t been that great of a year. The lake is starting to get overfished with all the tourism.”
I nodded and walked off the dock and then over to the shore, needing to see something. I tapped into my power and squatted down. Closing my eyes, I stuck my hands into the water, and focused on reading what was in the lake.
“The lake is getting too dirty for the algae to grow that the smaller fish and insects need to survive. The trout don’t have enough to eat with the lack of those so their young aren’t making it and those that are can’t smell the bait with the pollution.” I glanced around to make sure no one was watching. I focused hard and pulled the pollution towards me, thinking if it was right here on the shore then it could be cleaned up easier.
“What are you doing?” Levey asked nervously.
“Making the pollution come to me so we can get it out of the lake easier. I don’t know how to clean it up from there, but you might want to get help. There’s a lot of it coming.”
“Maybe right now isn’t the best time for this, Wes,” he replied nervously.
“If you don’t now there will barely be any fish to spawn for the next year. Then you’d have to restock the lake which I can’t even fathom how much would cost. I can spend the next week pulling out pollution before making the minerals the fish and other food sources need.”
“Damn, baby. You just never cease to amaze. I’ll go get some of the people off shift to help.”
I nodded and then went back to my task as I heard his footsteps receding. If anyone did see me they’d never be able to guess what I was doing. To them it probably looked as if I was just having a breakdown and taking solace in nature. I mean, I was squatting in the water, my flip-flops still on and my hands touching the bed of the shore that the water covered.
Maybe they would think I was meditating?
“What do you mean he’s cleaning the lake and needs help?” I heard Bay hiss several minutes later when I needed to take a break.
“I don’t know,” Levey answered. “He said he was pulling the pollution out because it’s killing the trout’s food sources. Wes said to get help cleaning it up because he didn’t know what to do once he pulled the pollution closer.”
“I don’t,” I agreed as I glanced over my shoulder, leaning back on my hands, resting as I stared out to the lake. I saw that there were a lot more people than Bay and Levey and I flinched. They were all foggy to me and we hadn’t talked about how they wanted me to handle that. “I can’t see any of them, Bay.”
“The Omega you picked is blind?” one guy asked, his tone confused but not like he was angry. “How can he see the pollution then?”
“My gifts are intact but I can’t see people well until I use my power to read them. It’s a temporary aftereffect of my last Alpha almost beating me to death with an iron fire poker,” I blurted out. I wasn’t even sure where that quick explanation came from, but really it was a lot more complicated than that.
“Oh, well just read our energy if that helps you.” He shrugged his shoulders as if it was no big deal. “We’re pack now. Anything we can do to help just let us know. We’re all really excited to have you, Wesley.”
“Thank you.” I got to my feet and took a few steps to the man. “I have to give you a quick kiss to read your energy though. Is that okay?”
“You’re n
ot my type, but sure,” he chuckled, giving me a wink. “No tongue though because I don’t want to have to explain that to my mate.”
“I understand,” I giggled when I moved closer and my men started growling. “Believe me, I get it.” I gave him a quick kiss, holding on to his arms tightly when images swarmed me. He was taller than me, everyone pretty much was, but he was only about five inches taller than my five three.
“Are you okay?” he gasped as I shook against him. He held me tightly as if worried I was going to fall.
“She will carry this baby to full term,” I whispered, lost in my visions. “The miscarriage last time wasn’t her fault, nor yours. It just happens sometimes, Adam. Comfort your mate on that. She worries she’s failed you and you won’t love her if she can’t give you pups. It’s not of concern either way. You will have a healthy baby boy born a week before its due date.”
I opened my eyes then and stepped away from him, wincing at his jaw hanging open as was the other stranger’s behind him. It was normally bad for me when that’s the reaction I got. Shit.
“Sorry, it’s hard to keep it in when I get a vision from someone’s energy.” I felt tears burn in my eyes as I kept moving away. “Don’t be mad at me. I can’t control it. I didn’t mean to blurt out something private.”
“Are you kidding me?” he shouted and I yelped when he pulled me back into his arms, hugging me fiercely. “You’re amazing, man!”
“Oh, okay, that’s good then,” I mumbled. I never knew what to do or how to act when it came to stuff like this. Either people got pissed that I couldn’t keep my mouth shut, or they thought I was evil for going through their heads… Even if that’s not what was happening. Very rarely did I get someone excited about what I told them. And that was even more weird for me. I didn’t do anything really. I just saw what would happen.
“A boy, huh? Susie will be thrilled!” He let out a whoop as he picked me up and spun me around. “I’ve got to go tell her. Can I ask you what you saw? Or is that bad form?”
“No, it’s fine. I can tell her what I saw and the feelings I got from you guys in the vision. But other than that, I’m not omniscient. I just pick certain things up here and there.”
“Thank you for this. You have no idea how hard it’s all been on us,” Adam said gratefully. He gave me another quick hug and darted off. I did actually know how hard it had been. I’d seen it in his head, it being the biggest thought on his mind.
Everyone was quiet then, no one else approaching me. Bay cleared his throat and I glanced to him. “Well that was interesting. Good for Adam and Susie. They deserve to be happy and I’m glad they have nothing to worry about.” His emotions were swirling all around and I picked up on the one that hurt the most.
“I didn’t mean to embarrass you,” I mumbled as I turned back to the lake. “I can’t help it, Bay.”
“I’m not embarrassed at all, Wes. I was worried that meeting people in the pack this way might be embarrassing to you.”
“I’m not embarrassed at what I can do. Ever. I just helped that man. His was freaking out inside, depressed, scared, and all kinds of worried. I set his mind at ease with what I saw. I don’t care if everyone else here thinks I’m a freak because of it. Adam and Susie deserve to be happy and they have no reason to be afraid. I gave them peace so they can now be excited that she’s pregnant.”
“Now that we’ve got that settled, let’s help you clean up our lake. Unless you need to read our energy too,” a kind woman’s voice said. I glanced in the direction it was coming from, seeing her outline but none of her features.
“I think it would drain me too much right now since I’ve been focusing my power on the lake. I don’t mean to be rude but since the whole pack survives off this lake, it seems more pressing. Just know I can’t see you, you’re all blurry to me, until I read your energy. So if I’m not meeting your eyes or looking at you funny, that’s why.”
“I don’t think any of us can understand that, young man,” she chuckled. “But we’ve all got our own quirks or issues. We don’t judge around here. You’re one of us and that’s all that matters.” I smiled at her. She was saying it for me, but also for everyone else there to hear. She was laying down the law on how people were to treat me and I appreciated it.
“Thank you, Dolly.” I heard a gasp and smiled. “You were thinking maybe you should at least tell me your name though. I heard it. Too much going on for me to block anything out right now. I assure you that normally I do so don’t worry about me digging around in your thoughts.”
“Dig away. I don’t have anything to hide. Tell us what to do to help you.”
“I’m going to pull the pollution I can feel towards me. It should clean up this part of the lake but for me to be effective I’m either going to have to move to different parts of the lake or pull it all over here. The second way would be much more straining on me.”
“There’s public launches on different sides of the lake,” Bay informed me as I squatted back into the water. “We can set up times to go there and bring help to clean things up. Are you talking like garbage that’s not going to float to shore or what?”
“That and there’s toxins. I’m going to try and get the toxins to attach themselves to the garbage so it can all be easily picked up. I suggest gloves for everyone though. I wouldn’t want some of this shit to touch my bare skin.”
“Already grabbed a bunch,” Levey chuckled. “We didn’t know what you meant. Okay, everyone spread out down the shore about five feet apart and just pick up what you can when Wes brings it in.”
“That will work,” I agreed. I focused on the water, trying to throw out a big net of energy and pulling everything towards me that wasn’t supposed to be in the water. I’d moved it all a good twenty feet earlier, and now it was a matter of getting it to the shore for them to pick up. I pulled the energy towards me, feeling it almost lurch me in the water with how heavy it was.
Adjusting my power levels, I let the holes in the metaphysical net allow more water to go through. I’d rather do this more often and on an easier level for me than practically kill myself to get it all in one shot. I signed the contract after all… I wasn’t going anywhere.
I pulled my power back in, ending up on my ass in the water because it was so much I was dragging towards the shore.
“Baby, are you—” Bay started to say but I cut him off.
“Don’t distract me,” I bitched as my energy wavered. “You’ll block my concentration.” He didn’t say anything and I was grateful he’d listened and didn’t end up blabbing an apology or something. That would have interrupted me even more.
“Alright, grab what you can,” Levey called out loudly. I heard lots of splashes in the water but I couldn’t stop to look. I was curious of course, but if I broke my concentration then it would all end up right back at the bottom of the lake.
“I can’t lift this,” one woman said. Now I really wondered what they were pulling out of there. The more they grabbed out of the water and away from my net of energy the easier it got for me. After about ten minutes I was able to open my eyes and relax a bit.
I was shocked what I could see moving towards me now that I was on the last ten feet of my invisible net. For one, there had to be at least five cases of empty beer bottles, the same with soda cans. There was a tire, because, sure, who wouldn’t think to throw that into a lake? Idiots. There was just a plethora of shit that people knew better than to dispose of like that. It annoyed me to no end.
When the last of it touched my feet because the net was all pulled in, I flopped back to the sand. “Done and done. Give me a minute to add some nutrients to the soil.”
“I think that’s enough for one morning,” Levey said gently as he lifted me into his arms. “Let’s give you a chance to get some real rest. Hell, we’re tired and all we had to do was pick the shit up.”
“How much did you get?” I lifted my head to look around finally and see everything. I felt my mouth hang open in shock.
“I count twenty big garbage bags of smaller shit, several tires, a bike, and lots of other miscellaneous crap. I bet what we got will fill at least two of our Dumpsters,” Bay answered with a big smile. “Sorry I interrupted you.”
“No, I shouldn’t have snapped. You didn’t know that it would break my concentration when you saw me doing all kinds of stuff while still talking. When it’s something big and complicated like this, if I blink or flinch with my powers, it all dissipates.”
“Well, now we know.” He leaned over and gave me a heated kiss. “Thank you for this, baby. We love this lake and do what we can to take care of it. The fact that you immediately wanted to help warms my heart. You were the right choice for us and this pack.”
“Thanks.” I felt my cheeks heat up with the praise.
“Go rest and we’ll get the tractor out here to get it cleaned up.” Bay nodded towards the main house and Levey headed that way with me in his arms.
But I didn’t want to rest. I felt good about what I’d done and that my men were happy. I wanted to do something else that involved a bed… Now.
Chapter 4
“So strong,” I purred as I moved my head and kissed along Levey’s neck. He carried me what added up to a few blocks like I weighed nothing. “I could have walked.”
“I like the excuse to have you in my arms,” he panted, in a way that had nothing to do with that I was tiring him out. It was the different kind of pant so I kept up my attentions.
“I should give you more contact then.” I wiggled around until I was wrapped around the front of him, our groins pushing against each other. He moaned as I moved my hands into his hair and nibbled on his ear. “I need you, Levey.”
